Silver Nitrate and
Prophylactic Eye Ointments for Newborns

What
is it?

The application of silver nitrate or a similar
antibiotic ointment such as
tetracycline or erythromycin into the eyes of newborn babies
just
minutes after birth is another routine newborn procedure commonly performed in the United
States.

Side Effects:

Silver
nitrate bonds with the eye membranes which results in redness, blurred
vision, and swelling for several days.

Early visual
perception development is altered which impacts the baby's ability to
adjust to the world outside the womb.

Why
is it done?

The routine administration of eye
ointment is required in most instances by state law on the grounds of
preventing blindness from exposure to maternal gonorrhea during
birth.

The glaring flaw
in this logic is that STD screening is also standard procedure as part
of prenatal care. Even if a pregnant woman has screened
negative for gonorrhea earlier in her pregnancy, the law assumes infidelity during pregnancy that will result in repeated exposure to STDs.

In addition, eye ointment doesn't have a 100% success rate
in preventing blindness. As a result, some hospital policies dictate injecting every newborn with penicillin at
birth. However, this practice helps breed antibiotic-resistant bacteria and puts the infant at risk of allergic reaction while in their most vulnerable state.

Simple
Solutions

1.
Choose delayed administration.

This will allow bonding time between you and your new baby without
inflicting pain as one of the child's
earliest sensory experiences.

2.
Request a
non-irritating eye ointment, such as tetracycline.

This allows the benefits of prevention without introducing the painful
side effects.

3. Refuse
the
procedure
if it is not state law and you know you don't have an STD.

If there are no risk factors, then administration has little to no benefit.

4. Determine the
penalty for refusal (sometimes a $5 fine) and refuse it then.